Taken 2 retains top spot at US box office

Taken 2 has fought off stiff competition from Argo to retain the top spot at the US box office.

Taken 2 has retained the top spot at the US box office (Allstar)

The Liam Neeson flick took $22.5 million (£14.03 million) according to early estimates compared with the Ben Affleck thriller Argo which made just $20.1 million.Sinister, a supernatural horror about a crime writer, starring Ethan Hawke, placed at number three with takings of $18.3 million.The standings go against what has been said in the reviews with Argo being well received and Taken 2 largely being panned by critics.Many have said the film is simply a rehash of the first Taken, which sees Neeson battling his way across Europe to rescue his kidnapped daughter.

Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box office tracker Hollywood.com, said it proves that reviews are often irrelevant in the world of film.

‘It kind of proves that reviews do not matter,’ he said.

‘Audiences just continue to eat this up. They just love Liam Neeson in this role.’

Argo meanwhile, which tells the story of a CIA operative who plans to rescue six Americans hiding in Tehran after the 1979 US embassy takeover saw revenues increase by 47 per cent between Friday, its opening day, and Saturday.

The remainder of the top five were made up with family comedy Hotel Transylvania and Kevin James’ Here Comes the Boom.